


The Past is Far Behind Us, The Future Doesn't Exist

by Aarky



Series: New Muses (Tommyinnit AUs Book Two) [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Antarctic Empire Faction on SMPEarth (Video Blogging RPF), Child Neglect, Emotionally constipated Tommyinnit, Families of Choice, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Murder, Murder Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Time Traveller ConnorEatsPants, Time Travelling Karl Jacobs, TommyInnit Has ADHD (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Nearly Dies (Video Blogging RPF), Web Series: Tales from the SMP, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-28 20:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30145239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aarky/pseuds/Aarky
Summary: Time was a fickle thing to Tommy. He had so much but so little. His exile changed his perception of time as the days seemed to stretch abnormally long. Other days the days stopped abruptly for him. He didn't have time to accept what happened in exile. He didn't have time to mourn his betrayal of Techno. He didn't have time to grieve the destruction of New L'manburg. But when he stumbles across a book while moving Connor's thing out of his house, he may be forced through time.Now the only thing he had to do is to Not. Forget.
Relationships: Connor | ConnorEatsPants & TommyInnit, Karl Jacobs & TommyInnit, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: New Muses (Tommyinnit AUs Book Two) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160765
Comments: 13
Kudos: 120





	1. Time is a Tool You Can Put on The Wall

Tommy didn't have any more time.

So many things happened so quickly and so close together. He didn't have time to mourn his betrayal of Techno. He didn't have time to grieve the destruction of New L'manburg.

One thing he did have time for, though, was cleaning out his house from the squatter who tried to claim it. He had no qualms against Connor. Honestly, he felt terrible about how he treated him, so Tommy tried to keep distant.

So, he was happy to find out that Connor wasn't there when Tommy arrived to his house. It made the process of removing Connor's belongings easier for him.

Luckily, Connor didn't own many items so rounding them up was quick. Most of the man's stuff was strewn across Tommy's lawn when he stumbled across a book hidden underneath a pile of armor. The book was black but has blue and gold highlights crisscrossed across the front.

He could just make out the title from the swooping gold cursive. He had always struggled with reading cursive, but the words became readable when he focused.

' _The Warring Empires. Pre-BBay_.'

A multicolored swirl spun around the title, and Tommy reread it a few times to make sure he was reading it correctly. The last word caught his attention, and he recognized the abbreviation as the one most SMP Earth members used for his faction.

"Business Bay? Before Business Bay?" He grumbled to himself.

Tommy hadn't bothered to read any of the histories of the SMP before he arrived, and since the book specifically mentioned his faction, he must be important somehow. Right?

He shifted the book in his hands and peeled it open slowly.

His vision was stained with a piercing bright light that emitted from the pages. His skin felt like it was being pulled from the bone before he ultimately fainted.

\----

  
Tommy woke up cold and sore. His bones ached from the freezing wind and from whatever just happened.

Wait, freezing wind?

His eyes shot opened to look around wherever he landed. A city of ice and marble loomed over the snowdrift he sat in. Lifting a hand, he ran it through his hair to dislodge any snow that stuck to him.

It was then he realized he was wearing different clothes. He still had his signature red and white color scheme, but his shirt was a long-sleeved white blouse slightly covered by a rich red cloak. His hands were covered in white gloves, and his shoes had turned into armor that sat just below his knees. The obvious diamonds stared back at him.

Deciding he was done sitting in a snowdrift, Tommy stood and shuffled closer to the city in front of him. Luckily, he landed pretty close to the entrance, and the guards either didn't notice him or didn't care to stop him. The streets were barren and abandoned.

Guards were the only figures he could see as they lined the rooves of buildings. Approaching the main road up to the castle, he was finally stopped by someone.

"State your business." One of the guards around the gates.

"I..., um, I'm here for the gathering?" Tommy guessed with a tilt of his head.

The guard looked him up and down before stopping to look at his hand. The man swore under his breath and dipped his head.

"So sorry, mediator! I did not know you carried a key. Continue up to castle as you wish."

Tommy stared before letting out a confused breath, "Key? What key?"

"The symbol you carry, Mediator." The man pointed to his hand.

Tommy looked down at his hand and spotted a circle amulet sitting pretty in his left hand. He let out another confused breath and instead brushed past the guard. He focused on the clicking of his shoes against the marble path to distract from his growing confusion and panic.

Reaching the main doors of the castle, he was led by a guard down the hall. He finally spotted the flag of the kingdom he landed in.

_Fuck._

The flag of the Antarctic Empire stared back at him.

He swore in his head, and he was led closer and closer to a room booming with music down the hall. The guard nudged him forward and into a large ballroom.

It was mostly empty, but a good handful of people twirled around with the music playing from the orchestra in the corner. Five people stood out in the crowd, as they were all surrounded by similarly dressed people.

_One._

A woman stood, almost flaunting her existence, in a long wine red ballgown. It had a sudden and deep v-neckline that pulled eyes to her... assets. Her golden hair was pulled up and pinned into a bun by a jeweled butterfly clip. Her skin was dripping with riches and gems. The people around her looked to be grabbing for her attention with honey-coated compliments.

_Two._

A man hunched in on himself, seemingly trying to ignore the people surrounding him. His outfit was simple but still glimmered with wealth. It was blue and grey, his emotions about as dull as the suit. The only pop of color on his clothes was the deep green patches on his sleeves. The people around him were dressed more colorfully than he did. Rich blues and purples.

_Three._

Another woman, but the air around her sparkled with warmth and kindness. She wore a pantsuit that was colored pearly white. It was simple and the only regular outfit in this room. The shoulders and sleeves of the suit were hidden underneath a pale, light blue coat that brushed the back of her knees. The people around her seemed to be calm, and they hung off her every word. Almost begging for compliments.

_Four._

Another man again, but he stood confidently and proudly, unlike the first. His clothes were sewn gold and glimmering, but it was covered in small patches. Like the coat had been ripped and hastily fixed by someone who didn't know how to sew. The man bounced from foot to foot and bared the smile on his face happily. The swarm of people around him would burst into laughter every few seconds. Some as if the man had told the funniest joke; and others like the man paid them a large amount of money to make him look good. Forced for some, easy for others.

_Five._

The last man stood alone but surrounded. He was close to the second man and seemed to glare at the group swarming the poor man. But Tommy had a hard time telling since his expression was hidden by a blank mask, with only a crack splitting the middle. His outfit was deep teal that bordered green. Gems hung off his coat but stopped there. It was simple but complex, and the air around him made Tommy nervous. He had no group around him.

Tommy let his mind wander after he looked over each person. The noise in the room disoriented him slightly, but the cold air kept him from breaking down. He blinked and finally looked at what he was zoning out at.

Two people, he begged the gods to not have him interact with.

Across the ballroom floor, draped in blue and wealth, stood his father and brother. Philza and Technoblade, the two rulers of this hellhole.

And, oh fuck, were they moving swiftly towards him.


	2. It Doesn't Go Backwards, Only One Way

Tommy tried to ignore the approaching figures and instead he continued to look around the room. He noticed the floors resembled ice, and the walls were a dark blue. The curtains fluttered as people brushed past them.

His attention got brought forward again when the clicking of boots stopped in front of him.

"Hello, can I ask your name? I don't think I have ever seen you around here." Phil stared at him, a smile on his face, but it hid visible annoyance. 

Phil was known for being an unopenable book to read, but being raised by him, Tommy knew every tell.

"What he means is, how did you get in here since we never gave an invitation to someone like you." Techno glared down at him, but Tommy didn't flinch.

He'd been receiving that glare a lot recently.

"I, um, the guards let me in?" Tommy raised his shoulders.

"Uh-huh. The guards just... let you in?" Techno raised an eyebrow.

Tommy blinked at the aggression radiating off of Techno before he remembered the book said  _ pre-BBay _ . These two hadn't even  _ met  _ him yet in history. The tension in his shoulders lessened slightly at the knowledge they didn't know him.

He was about to answer when an arm snaked over his shoulders, "Lessen the tension, Techno! He's with us." 

Looking to the side, he spotted Connor and Karl standing on both sides of him. Karl had his arm around Tommy and raised his own amulet to show Phil and Techno.

"Oh, Karl, Connor! I didn't know you were bringing an extra." Phil smiled but still had underlying annoyance.

"Eh, he's still in training, ya know? Thought this would be a good place to start." Connor explained with a tense smile back at Phil.

Phil and Techno seemed to barely accept the explanation, but they wandered off anyway. Once they were finally out of earshot, Connor and Karl rounded on Tommy.

"What the honk did you do?" Karl looked scared and angry all at the same time. Connor had the same expression.

"I... I don't know, big man! I just picked up a book because I recognized the name! What was I supposed to do!?" Tommy hissed both angrily and beggingly.

"I mean... that's kinda fair, but still!" Connor muttered but still rounded on him angrily.

"Just, what's happening? Where are we?"

"Tommy, we're about a few years in the past when SMP Earth was beginning," Karl explained to the still confused Tommy.

"How the actual FUCK did we manage to time travel?"

"The books, Tommy." Connor coughed.

"I want to go home," Tommy muttered a picked at the sleeves of his blouse.

"Unfortunately, we have to finish the story before we're allowed to leave," Connor explained with another cough.

Tommy groaned into his hands in response the Connor and Karl's attempt at reassurance.

"Hopefully, this story isn't a long one." Karl sighed.

"It might be, though. This is the one about the debate of allyship between the Antarctic Empire and the surrounding kingdoms." Connor spoke tiredly.

"Wait, allyship? When I joined, the empire never spoke of previous allies." Tommy asked.

Connor and Karl shared a look Tommy could analyze before they were being led away by guards. The five people from before followed them, this time without their groups surrounding them.

Tommy stuck to Connor and Karl's side as the woman in the red dress walked aggressively next to them. Being so close to her, Tommy realized who she resembled.

_Niki._

He took a gulp of air and turned away from looking at the woman. Phil pulled open a set of doors leading into a sitting room with a small table in the middle.

The group of five slowly surrounded the table of Tommy, Connor, and Karl stuck a little to the side. The woman in red looked up suddenly and glared at Tommy.

"I thought there was only going to be two mediators." She hissed.

"He's in training, so he came along." Karl butt in.

The woman raised an eyebrow in suspicion but turned back to look at the map. Once all eyes were off him, Tommy leaned to the side slightly to try and see the map.

Holy fuck, the empire was tiny before he joined. Nothing like the powerhouse Tommy knew. He held back a bout of laughter and started to listen to the arguments that were going to drone on for a while.

He hoped he would get to learn some names soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short this time around but we're moving steadily towards the action! No the group of five is not the actual dsmp members it's supposed to be a joke about the tales characters being played by dsmp members. Anyway, this story is on the shorter side but I've been thinking about adding to it with maybe a oneshot when I'm finished but eh we'll see. Hope you like this!
> 
> Word Count: 747


	3. Watch It Go Round Like a Merry-Go-Round

"Norinne, literally no one cares that your tiny little faction has too many  _ flowers _ for military tanks." Foxley, the man in blue, glared at Norinne, the woman in red.

"You should care! I'm your most  _ important _ ally here!" Norinne hissed.

"I swear you will be the first of us to fall!" Foxley growled back.

Luckily for Tommy, he learned these people's names quickly. Mostly because they couldn't stop screaming at each other.

Norinne swung her head away from Foxley and raised a hand, almost to hit him, before bringing it back to her side. It had only been an hour since the 'debate' started, and Tommy was already exhausted.

Mystic, the man in teal, stuck close to Foxley's side and dipped his head down to glare around the room. Tommy was very quickly uncomfortable looking at the man.

Connor and Karl seemed to listen with rapt attention: like they actually understood what was being discussed. Of course, Tommy zoned out early on and missed a good chunk of the conversation.

The woman in white, Hestia, Tommy had learned her name was, seemed to be in the same situation as him. She kept quiet and looked confused, watching Foxley and Norinne tear at each other.

"Perhaps we should take a break and move to the dining room?" Phil laughed nervously with underlining impatience.

Why was he hurrying them so much? Why did he look like he didn't care about this whole thing? Didn't he host this? Was Tommy thinking too hard in this situation?  


The group seemed to agree, with some light grumbling, and they started the trek across the castle. Tommy noticed they passed a few servants who kept their gazes on the floor and rushed past them. He tried to catch one of their eyes, but their gaze was stone.

The dining hall was just as ornate and extra as the rest of the palace. Connor, Karl, and Tommy were kept to the side to eat while the majority of the group sat around a long table. 

Tommy focused on his food but was waved off from eating by a nervous Karl. He raised an eyebrow, but Karl just shook his head and turned back towards the arguing group.

It was hard to hear the discussions from where he sat, but he assumed it didn't go well as Norinne lurched to her feet and stormed out. Connor immediately stood to follow, but Phil waved him away.

"I'll go after her. Techno, would you mind moving the group back to the sitting room?" Phil asked and didn't wait for an answer before fluttering away to follow the woman.

Techno grumbled a protest but shuffled to his feet anyway. The group followed hesitantly, keeping a distance from the intimidating man. Tommy almost laughed at the scared faces of Connor and Karl, but he held back. He knew Techno could be terrifying.

Techno led them through the twisting corridors and held open the sitting-room door. The group shuffled past, and Tommy ducked his head as to not catch Techno's gaze. He settled onto one of the couches to the side of the table and leaned over to Connor, who sat next to him.

"I feel like we aren't doing much mediating."

"We aren't really  _ supposed _ to interact with the story. We are just supposed to gain any knowledge to use on present-day issues." Connor explained with a shrug.

"What if interacting stops something bad?"

"Listen, interacting with the story can affect the present-day server in ways that can be... horrible. One word can start the apocalypse."

"How did you find that out?" Tommy asked curiously.

"Karl has... been in this field of work for a while. The server has changed in so many ways just from his meddling in the past."

"Are there rules or shit I should know if I'm becoming a time traveler?"

"The first lesson you should learn when starting time travel is to please, don't get attached to the people you meet." Connor coughed into his elbow and grimaced.

"Save yourself the trouble of mourning people you never actually should have met."

"I feel like you know more than your telling me."

"Listen, Tommy, you opened the book. You gotta be the one who closes it too."

Tommy hummed sadly and looked down at his shoes. His head swarmed with anxious thoughts, and he squeezed his nails into his palms. A hand snaked into his and pulled his nails from his skin. Looking up, Tommy caught Connor's worried look before he glanced back at the floor.

"How much longer will we have to wait before this can start?" Foxley turned towards Techno.

Techno stared and stayed silent, turning his gaze back to the door.

"Hello? What the hell kind of faction are you running?"

Foxley glanced around the room and narrowed his eyes at the shrugs received from the other members of the room.

"You people have no respect for your potential allies." Foxley scoffed.

"Excuse me, but can I speak with you outside."

Tommy whipped his head around and spotted Phil in the doorway of the room, glaring down at Foxley with a smile. Foxley stuttered but stood and followed the man out of the room. Tommy leaned towards the door to hear any conversation outside, but he was met with silence.

Phil returned to the room a few minutes later, a relieved smile on his face.

"Unfortunately, Lady Norinne and Lord Foxley decided to... leave."

Tommy blinked and almost sighed with relief at the equally confused faces of Connor and Karl. Phil moved back over to the table, and Tommy followed Connor and Karl over to the map.

The man in gold, Archie, Tommy had learned his name was, leaned over the table and smirked at the highlighted territories.

"I can see why you're looking for allies. You are basically surrounded by larger and more powerful factions." Archie said with a laugh.

Phil forced a laugh and nodded.

Tommy zoned out for most of the discussion, and his gaze drifted back down to the map.

Oh shit, what?

The territories of these  _ potential allies _ were right where the Antarctic Empire's most powerful outposts were when he joined. But two of the allies stormed out without agreeing to give land to the empire.

'Oh fuck, I don't think this is a meeting of allies.' Tommy mulled over in his head.

Tommy's attention was brought back to the conversation when he spotted Archie leaning towards Techno with a smirk.

"Oh, come on, isn't this a meeting of allies? Join the conversation a bit, man!" The man's accented words seemed to grate on Techno's patience.

"Well, Techno is much for diplomatic meetings so-" Phil started, but Archie interrupted.

"Not for diplomatic meetings? Then why is the man here?"

Phil squinted at Archie before a guard leaned into the room.

"Uh, I apologize to interrupt the meeting, but Lord Arthur's presence is requested back in his home faction."

"Oh god, never call me Arthur again." Archie sighed and started moving towards the door.

"Ah! I'll walk him out. You're dismissed." Phil waved away the guard and walked with Archie out of the room.

Tommy raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the other members left. Hestia shifted from foot to foot, and Mystic, the man in teal, stayed as silent and emotionless as ever. He watched as Hestia raised a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her brow before tugging at her collar.

Phil returned very quickly this time and leaned in the doorway.

"May we move to a different room?"

The group followed the man, and Techno let out a relieved breath as Phil waved him off from following. This time, the room they were led to was a library with an unlit fireplace in the middle.

Hestia stayed near the doorway, her white hair swishing as she glanced around.

"I'm sorry, but could you point me in the direction of the washroom?" Her voice wavered.

"Of course! It's right this way!" Phil smiled, emotionless.

Finally, after hours of trapesing around the castle, Tommy, Connor, and Karl were left with the last man standing.

A man who uncomfortably reminded Tommy of Dream.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter! I'm very happy to say the other installments of this time traveler series are finally planned and ready for writing once this one is finished. I have not been keeping up with the tales of the SMP so this is probably outdated since the pit or any other previous ones. Sorry if any characters seem OOC I'm still learning how to write Connor and Karl. Sorry if my pacing is garbage still improving there. Thank you so much I hope you enjoy any chapters to come.  
> Sorry for any mistakes grammar wise
> 
> Word Count: 1,366


End file.
